Sherman McMasters
Encyclopedia
Sherman McMaster was an outlaw turned lawman, who was one of the six men involved in the Earp vendetta ride
.
, the son of Sylvester W. McMaster. Not much is known of his life before heading out west, but he was believed to have met Pony Diehl
here. He soon moved to Texas, and became a Texas Ranger
. He met "Curly Bill" Brocius
, who was a prisoner under McMaster's Ranger division. In 1878 Curly Bill escaped from prison, allegedly helped by McMaster. Soon after, along with Curly Bill, Johnn Barnes, and Pony Diehl
, McMaster moved to Arizona.
s and two horses from a camp her Tombstone. He was also a suspect in a stagecoach
robbery near Globe, Arizona
.
On February 24, 1881, two men robbed the stage traveling between Globe
and Florence
. When the found that the Wells, Fargo & Co.
strongbox
was empty, they stole the U.S. mail. Pony Diehl
(aka Charles Ray) and McMaster were suspects. In Tombstone, City Marshal Virgil Earp
knew that McMaster was wanted for the robbery, but according to the The Tombstone Epitaph Virgil had received instructions from Pima County Sheriff Bob Paul
to wait to arrest McMaster until Diehl was in custody.
On September 10, 1881, Tombstone City Marshal Virgil Earp attempted to arrest McMaster, who resisted. McMaster fired several shots at Virgil before escaping.
Some accounts have since indicated he was possibly working undercover
for the Rangers to break up the outlaw Cowboys
, By the time the clash between the Earps and the Cowboys came about, McMaster's allegiance was with the Earps.
McMaster worked both sides of the law. After
He played an important role in the vendetta. Once a member of the Cowboys (an outlaw gang) he later changed his views and sided with the Earps. He by all accounts had previously met and became friends with Wyatt Earp
and Doc Holliday
in Dodge City, Kansas
. He assisted Wyatt Earp in taking out his revenge
on the outlaw gang for the death of Wyatt's brother, Morgan Earp
, and the shooting of his other brother Virgil Earp
, all following the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
. Among the other participants in the Vendetta were Wyatt and his younger brother Warren Earp
, Doc Holliday
, "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson, and Texas Jack Vermillion
.
claimed in the Flood manuscript that McMaster had been killed in 1898 in the Philippines
while serving as a soldier in the Spanish American War. However, official records do not list him as a soldier. A probate record filed by his siblings in 1906 listed his death in Colorado in 1892.
in the 1993 film Tombstone
.
Earp vendetta ride
The Earp Vendetta Ride, lasting from March 20 to April 15, 1882, was a manhunt for outlaw Cowboys led by newly appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp. He was searching for men he held responsible for maiming his brother Virgil, the Tombstone Marshal and Deputy U.S. Marshal, and assassinating his...
.
Early life
Sherman W. McMaster was born in 1853 in Rock Island, IllinoisRock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
, the son of Sylvester W. McMaster. Not much is known of his life before heading out west, but he was believed to have met Pony Diehl
Pony Diehl
Charles "Pony" Diehl was an Old West outlaw who crossed paths and associated with some of the most famous western characters in American history. His origins are unknown, although he is believed to have been part Cherokee....
here. He soon moved to Texas, and became a Texas Ranger
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
. He met "Curly Bill" Brocius
William Brocius
William "Curly Bill" Brocius was a gunman, rustler and an outlaw Cowboy in the Cochise County area of Arizona Territory during the early 1880s. He had a number of conflicts with the lawmen of the Earp family, and he was named as one of the individuals who participated Morgan Earp's assassination....
, who was a prisoner under McMaster's Ranger division. In 1878 Curly Bill escaped from prison, allegedly helped by McMaster. Soon after, along with Curly Bill, Johnn Barnes, and Pony Diehl
Pony Diehl
Charles "Pony" Diehl was an Old West outlaw who crossed paths and associated with some of the most famous western characters in American history. His origins are unknown, although he is believed to have been part Cherokee....
, McMaster moved to Arizona.
Life as an outlaw and gunfighter
McMaster worked for the Texas Rangers in 1878, the same year that he first met Brocius. By most accounts he was a good lawman, and was respected for his talents with a gun. In July of 1880 he was suspected of stealing U.S. Army muleMule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s and two horses from a camp her Tombstone. He was also a suspect in a stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
robbery near Globe, Arizona
Globe, Arizona
Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....
.
On February 24, 1881, two men robbed the stage traveling between Globe
Globe, Arizona
Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....
and Florence
Florence, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,054 people, 2,226 households, and 1,540 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,056.2 people per square mile . There were 3,216 housing units at an average density of 387.7 per square mile...
. When the found that the Wells, Fargo & Co.
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
strongbox
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
was empty, they stole the U.S. mail. Pony Diehl
Pony Diehl
Charles "Pony" Diehl was an Old West outlaw who crossed paths and associated with some of the most famous western characters in American history. His origins are unknown, although he is believed to have been part Cherokee....
(aka Charles Ray) and McMaster were suspects. In Tombstone, City Marshal Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
knew that McMaster was wanted for the robbery, but according to the The Tombstone Epitaph Virgil had received instructions from Pima County Sheriff Bob Paul
Robert H. Paul
Robert H. Paul was a law enforcement officer in the American Southwest for more than 30 years. He was sheriff of Pima County, Arizona Territory from April 1881 to 1886 and a friend of Deputy U.S. Marshall Virgil Earp and his brother Wyatt Earp...
to wait to arrest McMaster until Diehl was in custody.
On September 10, 1881, Tombstone City Marshal Virgil Earp attempted to arrest McMaster, who resisted. McMaster fired several shots at Virgil before escaping.
Some accounts have since indicated he was possibly working undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
for the Rangers to break up the outlaw Cowboys
The Cowboys (Cochise County)
The Cowboys were a loosely associated group of outlaw cowboys in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona Territory in the late 19th century. They were cattle rustlers and robbers who rode across the border into Mexico and rounded up cattle that they then sold in the United States...
, By the time the clash between the Earps and the Cowboys came about, McMaster's allegiance was with the Earps.
McMaster worked both sides of the law. After
He played an important role in the vendetta. Once a member of the Cowboys (an outlaw gang) he later changed his views and sided with the Earps. He by all accounts had previously met and became friends with Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
and Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
in Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
. He assisted Wyatt Earp in taking out his revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
on the outlaw gang for the death of Wyatt's brother, Morgan Earp
Morgan Earp
Morgan Seth Earp was the younger brother of Deputy U.S. Marshals Virgil and Wyatt Earp. Morgan was a deputy of Virgil's and all three men were the target of repeated death threats made by outlaw Cowboys who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. This conflict eventually...
, and the shooting of his other brother Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
, all following the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
. Among the other participants in the Vendetta were Wyatt and his younger brother Warren Earp
Warren Earp
Baxter Warren Earp was the youngest brother of Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil, James, and Newton Earp. He was not present during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. After Virgil was maimed in an ambush, he joined Wyatt and was in town when Morgan was assassinated. He helped Wyatt in the hunt for the outlaw...
, Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
, "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson, and Texas Jack Vermillion
Texas Jack Vermillion
John Wilson Vermillion , alias "Texas Jack" and later as "Shoot-Your-Eye-Out" Vermillion, was a gunfighter of the Old West known for his participation in the Earp vendetta ride and his later association with Soapy Smith.- Early life :...
.
Death
In a letter written to his father, Will McLaury wrote that McMaster had been killed by the Cowboys. Wyatt EarpWyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
claimed in the Flood manuscript that McMaster had been killed in 1898 in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
while serving as a soldier in the Spanish American War. However, official records do not list him as a soldier. A probate record filed by his siblings in 1906 listed his death in Colorado in 1892.
In popular culture
McMaster has been portrayed in almost every film about the Earps. He was most notably portrayed by actor Michael RookerMichael Rooker
Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
in the 1993 film Tombstone
Tombstone (film)
Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre....
.